Positive reinforcement is a way to keep students engaged on their tasks; let them know they are right on task with their work. One strategy that is identified in the literature to increase motivation is to reinforce effect. Reinforcement should support a student’s effect rather than only the recognizing ability (Clemons, Igel, & Beesley, 2010). By telling student’s they are not working hard enough is not a good effect for them to learn. They are not sure on what specifically they have to work on to put the effort they may need to be successful. Teachers can create a rubric for the students to have a better understanding of how they can rate themselves performance in a classroom setting.
Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on intrinsic motivation
Reward is most effective when it is contingent on the attainment of some standard of performance
Abstract symbolic recognition is more effective than tangible rewards
Reinforcing Effort Teachers should distinguish and exemplify the connection between effort and achievement. A reasonable and respectful policy will help students demonstrate their effort for completing a task. Teachers should ask students to document what they did before they abandoned the work assigned: what approaches they tried, for example, who they asked for help. Such a policy sends the message that perseverance and resourcefulness are important, so students should not give up at the first sign of trouble.
Teaching students relationship between effort and achievement
Sharing personal examples of effort
Reading stories like "The Little Engine that Could" or stories about someone who never gave up
Showing students how to keep track of their Effort and Achievement
Considering a students' effort when grading (effort and achievement rubric)
Research shows that there are two instructional strategies that teachers should use when considering students' attitudes and beliefs. By using these strategies, students' achievement can increase by 29% (Marzano, 2001).
GRAPH: Guidelines for Effective Praise
Effective Praise
1.Is delivered contingently 2.Specifies the particulars of the accomplishment 3.Shows spontaneity, variety, and other signs of credibility; suggests clear attention to the student's accomplishment 4.Rewards attainment of specified performance criteria (which can include effort criteria, however) 5.Provides information to students about their competence or the value of their accomplishments 6.Orients students toward better appreciation of their own task-related behavior and thinking about problem solving 7.Uses students' own prior accomplishments as the context for describing present accomplishments 8.Is given in recognition of noteworthy effort or success at difficult (for this student) tasks 9.Attributes success to effort and ability, implying that similar successes can be expected in the future 10. Fosters endogenous attributions (students believe that they expend effort on the task because they enjoy the task and/or want to develop task-relevant skills) 11. Focuses students' attention on their own task-relevant behavior 12. Fosters appreciation of and desirable attributions about task-relevant behavior after the process is completed1.2
Ineffective Praise
1.Is delivered randomly or unsystematic 2.Is restricted to global positive reactions 3.Shows a bland uniformity, which suggests a conditioned response made with minimal attention 4.Rewards mere participation, without consideration of performance processes or outcomes 5.Provides no information at all or gives students information about their status 6.Orients students toward comparing themselves with others and thinking about competing 7.Uses the accomplishments of peers as the context for describing students' present accomplishments 8.Is given without regard to the effort expended or the meaning of the accomplishment (for this student) 9. Attributes success to ability alone or to external factors such as luck or easy task 10. Fosters exogenous attributions (students believe that they expend effort on the task for external reasons to please the teacher, win a competition or rewarded.) 11.Focuses students' attention on the teachers an external authority who is manipulating them 12.Intrudes into the ongoing process, distracting attention from task-relevant behavior
(I had to recreate this graph from a PDF file I was using.)
Positive reinforcement is a way to keep students engaged on their tasks; let them know they are right on task with their work. One strategy that is identified in the literature to increase motivation is to reinforce effect. Reinforcement should support a student’s effect rather than only the recognizing ability (Clemons, Igel, & Beesley, 2010). By telling student’s they are not working hard enough is not a good effect for them to learn. They are not sure on what specifically they have to work on to put the effort they may need to be successful. Teachers can create a rubric for the students to have a better understanding of how they can rate themselves performance in a classroom setting.
Reinforcing Effort
Teachers should distinguish and exemplify the connection between effort and achievement. A reasonable and respectful policy will help students demonstrate their effort for completing a task. Teachers should ask students to document what they did before they abandoned the work assigned: what approaches they tried, for example, who they asked for help. Such a policy sends the message that perseverance and resourcefulness are important, so students should not give up at the first sign of trouble.
Research shows that there are two instructional strategies that teachers should use when considering students' attitudes and beliefs. By using these strategies, students' achievement can increase by 29% (Marzano, 2001).
GRAPH:
Guidelines for Effective Praise
1.Is delivered contingently
2.Specifies the particulars of the accomplishment
3.Shows spontaneity, variety, and other
signs of credibility; suggests clear attention to the student's accomplishment
4.Rewards attainment of specified
performance criteria (which can include effort criteria, however)
5.Provides information to students about
their competence or the value of their accomplishments
6.Orients students toward better
appreciation of their own task-related behavior and thinking about problem solving
7.Uses students' own prior
accomplishments as the context for describing present accomplishments
8.Is given in recognition of noteworthy
effort or success at difficult (for this student) tasks
9.Attributes success to effort and ability,
implying that similar successes can be expected in the future
10. Fosters endogenous attributions (students
believe that they expend effort on the task because they enjoy the task and/or want to develop task-relevant skills)
11. Focuses students' attention on their
own task-relevant behavior
12. Fosters appreciation of and desirable
attributions about task-relevant behavior
after the process is completed1.2
1.Is delivered randomly or unsystematic
2.Is restricted to global positive reactions
3.Shows a bland uniformity, which suggests a conditioned response made with minimal attention 4.Rewards mere participation, without consideration of performance processes or outcomes
5.Provides no information at all or gives students information about their status
6.Orients students toward comparing themselves with others and thinking about competing
7.Uses the accomplishments of peers as the context for describing students' present accomplishments
8.Is given without regard to the effort expended or the meaning of the accomplishment (for this student)
9. Attributes success to ability alone or to external factors such as luck or easy task
10. Fosters exogenous attributions (students believe that they expend effort on the task for external reasons to please the teacher, win a competition or rewarded.)
11.Focuses students' attention on the teachers an external authority who is manipulating them
12.Intrudes into the ongoing process, distracting attention from task-relevant behavior